Daily Archives: July 19, 2015
Gay dad and daughter trapped in Thailand after surrogacy turns sour
Gay dad and daughter trapped in Thailand after surrogacy turns sour
A gay father claims he is unable to leave Thailand with his infant daughter because the surrogate who gave birth to her objects to the fact he is married to a man.
Gordon ‘Bud’ Lake, from Florida, USA, used a surrogacy agency in Thailand, choosing a suitable surrogate mother and signing a surrogacy agreement.
His daughter, Carmen, was born on January 17 2015, but in an interview with Gay Star News he explained the surrogate is refusing to sign any legal documents – leaving his daughter stuck in Thailand without a passport.
Under Thai law, a woman who gives birth to a child has all legal parental rights over the child, even though Bud is Carmen’s biological father.
After listing Bud as the father on the birth certificate, and allowing Carmen home from the hospital, the surrogate discovered the couple were two men.
Bud explained in an email to Gay Star News: ‘It became apparent that the surrogate had issues with Carmen being raised by what she would later describe as “not an ordinary family”.’
Bud said the surrogate had started to make appearances in the media, making remarks including ‘they are not natural parents in Thai society’, and ‘they are same-sex, not male and female that can take care of babies’.
The American in Bangkok has issued a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, which recognizes Carmen as an American citizen – but she will not be able to obtain a passport without the consent of both parents listed on the birth certificate.
Now, Bud explains the authorities want to stop him requesting a passport altogether, because he is ‘not the legal father’ of Carmen.
‘There is a new law that, although outlawing surrogacy for foreign couples, has a temporary provision that states: “husband or wife executing to surrogacy, . . . has right to file a complaint to the Court for ordering a person who was born by surrogacy before this act enforced be legitimate child of husband and wife executing to surrogacy,”‘ he explained.
‘In principle the provision is written to do the right thing and give parental rights to commissioning parents, BUT since it says “husband and wife” we don’t know how they will rule given we are “husband and husband”.
‘We will be forced to go through this court procedure, facing another year and half in Thailand, with complete uncertainty of how this temporary provision will be interpreted.’
In order to cover the mounting costs of legal proceedings, and accommodation in Thailand, the couple are appealing for donations, but they also hope to change the phrasing in the new Thai law so it does not only include ‘husband’ and ‘wife’.
As things stand, Bud says the U.S. embassy are unable to take any further action, so he and his husband are campaigning to get Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama on side in order to help speed the decision-making process along.
‘We are involving Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama because we think they will be sympathetic to our call, and be able to reason with the right people to be able to initiate this engagement with the Thai authorities,’ Bud said.
‘Carmen is an American citizen and she should be protected by the U.S.
‘Obviously prolonging this whole situation isn´t in the best interest of the Carmen, which is what we believe the Thai authorities will give top priority – what’s in the best interest of the child – in making their decisions.
‘The Thai authorities only need to be given the chance to help.
‘If the U.S. State Department would only let them.’
The post Gay dad and daughter trapped in Thailand after surrogacy turns sour appeared first on Gay Star News.
Mel Spencer
www.gaystarnews.com/article/gay-dad-and-daughter-trapped-in-thailand-after-surrogacy-turns-sour/
Anti-Gay Former Archbishop Denies Allegations Of Cruising Parks, Inappropriately Touching Male Student
Anti-Gay Former Archbishop Denies Allegations Of Cruising Parks, Inappropriately Touching Male Student
An internal church probe is investigating allegations against anti-gay Archbishop John Nienstedt that he cruised parks, sought poppers, inappropriately touched understudies and went to gay clubs in the 1980s reports The Star Tribune.
The probe, commissioned by Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, collected affidavits from several priests and former seminarians alleging that Nienstedt visited gay clubs around Detroit in the early 1980s along with reports of inappropriate touching. Nienstedt resigned June 15 after Ramsey County prosecutors filed criminal and civil charges against the archdiocese citing a “failure to protect children,” regarding accusations of priests abusing children under Nienstedt’s tenure. Nienstedt has denied all allegations disclosed in affidavits:
“It pains me deeply that my good name and reputation have been put into question by allegations that are entirely false and based wholly on rumor, hearsay, or innuendo.”
However, numerous testimonies from Nienstedt’s contemporaries indicate otherwise. Priest Lawrence Ventline from Harristown Township, Mich. reported seeing Nienstedt outside a gay club in Windsor, Ontario in the 1980s:
“I recall seeing John — and there is no doubt in my mind that it was him based on my prior interactions with him — at the Happy Tap. He appeared to wave me off as I was coming — and I backed off because I did not want impose on him.”
Another Michigan priest disclosed that Nienstedt approached his car in an area frequented by gay men in the 1980s asking him for poppers, an inhalant used to enhance sexual pleasure. A former student at Sacred Heart Seminary also disclosed Nienstedt groped his buttocks after a dinner together back in 2000-2002; Nienstedt threatened the student saying that he could, “make things unpleasant for you very quickly,” after the student protested.
Nienstedt says the accusations are “retribution” for his anti-gay views. Nienstedt claims he has evidence to debunk his accusers claims, but says that revealing said evidence is “a disservice to the people who cooperated with the investigation under a promise of confidentiality.” However, Ramsey County’s investigation in its criminal prosecution of Nienstedt is still active with a court hearing scheduled for Aug. 25.
The post Anti-Gay Former Archbishop Denies Allegations Of Cruising Parks, Inappropriately Touching Male Student appeared first on Towleroad.
Anthony Costello
2014-06-GayPride-647w
Thomas Roberts Becomes First Openly Gay Evening News Anchor On Network TV
Thomas Roberts Becomes First Openly Gay Evening News Anchor On Network TV
Thomas Roberts anchored NBC’s “Nightly News” on Saturday, a huge milestone for both the 42-year-old journalist’s career and gay rights history.
Until the broadcast, an openly gay person had never anchored the nightly news on network TV. Roberts told The Advocate that it was a “huge honor” to fill the role.
During the week, Roberts hosts “MSNBC Live With Thomas Roberts.”
There are a few openly gay evening news anchors on cable TV — MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, CNN’s Anderson Cooper and Don Lemon — but Roberts is the first for one of the big three networks.
Watch the historic broadcast:
— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
Tom Hardy is on the Run in a Galaxy Far, Far Away in Mad Max/Star Wars Mashup – VIDEO
Tom Hardy is on the Run in a Galaxy Far, Far Away in Mad Max/Star Wars Mashup – VIDEO
It was only a matter of time before the desert wasteland world of Mad Max: Fury Road was thrown together with Tatooine and the rest of the Star Wars universe. Lucky for fans of both franchises, the mash-up is a smashing success.
Watch as X-Wings chase cars, Darth Vader lords over the Citadel, and Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron go full Jedi (complete with lightsabers) in “Road Wars: The Imperator Strikes Back” below:
The post Tom Hardy is on the Run in a Galaxy Far, Far Away in Mad Max/Star Wars Mashup – VIDEO appeared first on Towleroad.
Kyler Geoffroy
Tom Hardy is on the Run in a Galaxy Far, Far Away in Mad Max/Star Wars Mashup – VIDEO
Car2Go Go Girl
WATCH: 'Do You Think Being Gay Is A Choice?' Scott Walker Says He Doesn't Know
WATCH: 'Do You Think Being Gay Is A Choice?' Scott Walker Says He Doesn't Know
The Wisconsin Governor’s answer is that this is “not even an issue for me to be involved in.”
Dawn Ennis
Former Pastor Suggests Christians Should Fight Gay Rights With Guns
Former Pastor Suggests Christians Should Fight Gay Rights With Guns
An evangelical Christian suggested in a video posted to Facebook that Christians should fight against gay rights with firearms.
Former pastor and current Internet personality Joshua Feuerstein opened his July 9 tirade with several examples of what he described as attacks on Christianity.
RANT: Gay Man files LAWSUIT to forcibly remove homosexuality from BIBLE .. Pastor THREATENED with ARREST if he doesnt marry SAME SEX COUPLES! Follow -> Michael Chitwood .. he is fighting for our rights!!!
Posted by Joshua Feuerstein on Thursday, July 9, 2015
Feuerstein, who has about 1.6 million Facebook fans, mentions a man suing two Bible publishers to get the word “homosexuality” removed from the text, an Idaho pastor he says might get arrested for refusing to perform gay weddings and Oregon bakers getting fined $135,000 for refusing to bake a wedding cake for a lesbian couple.
It turns out Feuerstein is a little misinformed about a couple of these stories (we’ll get to that in a minute), but it’s what he does next that’s bringing the video — which has received more than 5 million views since he uploaded it — so much attention.
“They are coming after our First Amendment constitutional rights,” Feuerstein puffs. “Well, check this out. This is one pastor that will not bow. Why? Because my First Amendment right is guaranteed by my Second Amendment right.” He then brandishes what appears to be an assault rifle.
“Think about that, ladies and gentlemen,” he continues. “It’s time we finally take a stand and say ‘no more.’ We’re not backing up any farther. We’re not going to allow a tyrannical government to try and strip away our rights as Christians and try to demonize us so that they can make the Bible bigoted.”
It should be noted that the “government” is not doing anything to change the text of the Bible. The lawsuit Feuerstein mentions actually took place in 2008 and was dismissed by the courts, Snopes points out.
The angry evangelist’s complaint about a pastor’s arrest is also inaccurate. He’s referring to ministers Donald and Evelyn Knapp, owners of the Hitching Post Wedding Chapel in Couer d’Alene, Idaho, who filed a federal lawsuit last year claiming that the city’s non-discrimination ordinances would force them to face jail time if they refused to perform same-sex weddings.
However, the Knapps were never actually threatened with arrest or fines, city officials said at the time. Additionally, the Knapps registered their business as a religious corporation, making it explicitly exempt from the non-discrimination law in the first place.
Even if all Feuerstein’s claims were true, though, it would hardly lend credibility to the suggestion that Christians should use guns to fight gay marriage. We double-checked and found that “Thou shalt not kill” is still on the list of the Ten Commandments –and there’s no footnote saying it’s OK if you’re doing it to fight against gay rights.
— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
Two moms fight to be included on son’s birth certificate
Two moms fight to be included on son’s birth certificate
Two moms in Texas are fighting to change state law to ensure they can both be listed on their son’s birth certificate.
The Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of same-sex marriage means Molly Maness-Roberson and her wife Keri Roberson are able to obtain a marriage license in their home state, but their son is not legally recognised as their child.
Molly carried her son, Boston, and gave birth to him earlier this month, after he was conceived from her wife’s egg and an anonymous donor’s sperm.
But despite changes to marriage laws, the hospital informed the couple that birth certificates only have space for one mother and one father.
‘We both feel angry and disappointed, but mostly heartbroken and sad,’ Molly said, speaking to GSN.
‘We are both ready and willing to do whatever we have to do to get both of or names on his birth certificate.’
‘No matter what kind of family you have, you’re still a family.’
Now the couple are asking the state to reissue their birth certificate with both their names on, and are asking other same-sex parents to petition the government to demand families with same-sex parents are recognised.
Molly added: ‘If the government refuses, we are prepared to take steps in the court system to enforce our family’s constitutional right to be recognized.’
As well as causing emotional pain, the omission of one of Boston’s parents on his birth certificate could cause financial and administrative difficulties down the line: the official document establishes parental rights, and determines whether the child is eligible for health benefits or financial support.
Carrie Williams, a spokeswoman for the Texas Department of State Health Services, said officials are reviewing which official forms and documents, if any, need to be amended following the Supreme Court’s ruling.
‘Once we complete that analysis, we would make any necessary changes as soon as possible,’ she said, speaking to Dallas News.
The post Two moms fight to be included on son’s birth certificate appeared first on Gay Star News.
Mel Spencer
www.gaystarnews.com/article/two-moms-fight-to-be-included-on-sons-birth-certificate/
